Moonstone
by penofjade
Summary: Karin Kurosaki hasn't always hated the dark... A one-shot based on the writing prompt "The Moon and Stars."


A/N: This is a one-shot which I wrote off a prompt for a fanclub on deviantArt. I actually rather like how it turned out. Granted, it's a little fluffy, but we all need that once in awhile, right? Also, this story is in no way linked to "Arise, Burning Phoenix." And I honestly have no idea if Karin is afraid of the dark...I just thought it would be an interesting twist. Anyway, please enjoy!

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><p>Karin hadn't always hated the dark. In fact, when she had been very young, they had traveled to the mountains for a weekend vacation. Away from the city lights, she could see all the millions of stars shining above them. Her mother had pointed certain stars out and told her stories about them. However, it hadn't been long after that when her mother was killed by a Hollow. Ever since her deat, Karin Kurosaki had hated the dark.<p>

Yuzu told their father that _she_ was afraid of the dark, willingly plugging in a small night-light every evening. Even though they were both fifteen years old, and much to old for such things, the little light still glowed softly each night.

Only when there was a full moon did Karin stay up to watch the sky. The stars were too faint to be seen in the city, but the moon would wash everything in silver. It had been ten years since her mother's death, but she could still hear the woman's voice say softly, every time she looked at it, "The moon might not be as bright as the sun, Karin, but she has a kinder face. You can see her wrinkles and the lines that form when she laughs at the stars. The sun is the father, all business and focus, but the moon is the mother, who cares for her children."

Even though she knew how silly those ideas were, back then she had thought it a wonderful thing that the moon was the mother to all the stars. After her own mother had been taken from her, the heavenly body seemed the next best thing. So, when she was completely present, all bright and glowing, Karin would sit and watch her. Granted, the next day in class and at soccer practice she was tired and not all there, but what did that matter? Maybe her mother was watching her watch the moon. Maybe that would make her smile.

That was the only time, every month, when Karin didn't mind the dark. In fact, she tended to forget about it while she watched the sky. On the other nights, however, her fear of the shadows and what they might hold was very real. Yuzu would sleep soundly, but if something happened to their night-light, Karin would be unable to move or make a sound. She would lie like that until the dawn peeked through their window.

Karin had been busy the day it happened. She had gone to school early so that she could work on a project for class with her group and then she'd had soccer practice until six. After that, she helped Yuzu clean up the kitchen, followed by several hours of homework. Once everything was finished and she crawled into bed, she could barely keep her eyes open. However, when she drifted back into consciousness around two in the morning, all she saw was darkness.

Her instantaneous reaction was to freeze. Her body remained just as it was, although her breathing became slightly raspier. She could feel herself beginning to panic, which didn't help anything. Karin was disgusted with herself after nights like that. _She_ was supposed to be the strong one. She wasn't meant to be a burden, but there she was, frozen like a little bunny staring down an advancing snake.

What she didn't realize was that her reiryoku really wasn't handling the situation very well, either. In fact, it was doing its best to imitate her heartbeat, which was pounding in her chest like a temple drum. On every other beat, it was spiking, creating quite a signature for any spiritually aware being in the area.

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><p>Toshiro Hitsugaya had been quietly patrolling to the north of the Kurosaki residence. The peacefulness of his evening, however, was interrupted quite forcefully when he was suddenly treated to a staccato of reiryoku. Spinning around, he scanned the horizon. He recognized the power he was feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger who it belonged to. Something that large would have to be either a Hollow or a Shinigami...Then the signature of it echoed through his head. <em>Karin<em>.

While he'd known the girl for four years, the force of the power pouring from her was greater than he would have expected. Once he'd figured out _who_ the reiryoku belonged to, his next concern involved what was happening to her. In the years since Ichigo had introduced his family to Soul Society, the 10th Division captain had _never_ seen Karin terrified. Frightened, yes. Upset, yes. Spitting nails, more than once. But terrified? Never. However, that's what her reiryoku was screaming at him now.

Using Shunpo, he quickly appeared outside the Kurosaki Clinic. Nothing seemed to be happening, however, other than the spiking reiryoku. He couldn't sense any other spiritual being within range. Something, though, was terrifying Karin, which concerned him. Landing in the tree outside the room she shared with her twin, he looked in through the window. Nothing. He was quickly becoming both confused and frustrated.

Entering the room, he glanced around. Yuzu was still soundly asleep, but he could see that Karin was most definitely awake and staring off into nothing. She was tense, drawn so tight that if he touched her she'd probably shatter into thousands of pieces. Or scream. Keeping that in mind, he slowly approached her. Knowing that Yuzu couldn't hear him, he said, "Karin?"

Nothing. She didn't move, didn't blink, didn't, well, _anything_. The shallow, raspy breaths she was expelling were the only things telling him she was even still alive. That and the reiryoku.

Squatting down in front of her, he tried to get her to focus on him. "Karin, what's wrong?"

Still nothing. This wasn't getting them anywhere.

Leaning forward, he stopped with his nose nearly touching hers. His goal was to fill her sight range, so that she would stop staring at whatever it was which was freaking her out.

No good with that either. Her eyes didn't shift, and she still hadn't blinked. He knew she was awake, otherwise he could probably blame all this on a nightmare. She was present, but not focused on anything.

Knowing that his lieutenant would never let him hear the end of it if she found out, he closed the gap which was still between them so that his nose touched hers. That one small touch, lasting only a second or two, brought her out of the stupor she had been lost in. However, the result was slightly unexpected.

Karin Kurosaki, one of the most tomboyish girls he'd ever met, threw her arms around his neck as though she were drowning. Burying her face in his neck, she started to cry quietly, her breaths still ragged. If he hadn't been a captain, he would have ended up with his butt on the ground. As it was, he managed to keep from shooting backwards, albeit just barely.

Grabbing the side of her bed, he pushed her back a bit so that he could sit next to her. She had still not let go of his neck, which was making him just slightly uncomfortable. When he stopped moving, he found that she'd gotten even closer, almost curling into him.

Trying to grab her arms so that he could shove her back, he stopped when he both felt and heard her say, "Don't leave me alone...Please, don't leave me alone."

"You aren't alone, Karin. Yuzu is right over there." He wondered if maybe she _had_ been asleep and he just hadn't been able to tell.

"She's still asleep..."

"But you aren't alone."

"Please, Toshiro..." She mumbled, her shoulders folding forward in a protective manner. "I..."

"What?" he demanded when she paused.

He heard her mumble something again, although this time it was so quiet even he couldn't quite pick it up.

"Speak up," he said, attempting to make her let go again.

"I'm afraid of the dark."

He stopped moving, just stared down at her the top of her head where it was still tucked in between his chin and shoulder.

"If that's all-" He stopped abruptly as she lifted her face and he saw the terror still shining, deep in her grey eyes. Tear tracks marked her cheeks and she was beginning to shiver. She looked like a kitten that had lost its mother, but was too afraid to cry out, just in case something else found it first.

Before he could say anything else, she pushed against his shoulder weakly, saying as she did so, "Go away...I'm fine. Just...forget this ever happened."

He didn't move as she shoved. She was trying to be brave, hurriedly wiping away the tears. Feeling lower than a Hollow, he reached out and brought her back to his shoulder. She took that as permission and latched onto him again, her shoulders renewing their shaking. He could tell that she was embarrassed, but her fear was outweighing everything else at the moment.

He sat like that with her for awhile, waiting until she'd fallen back asleep. After her eyes had finally closed and her breathing had evened out again, he tucked her back under the covers and left the room.

However, the next morning, when Karin opened her gritty eyes, she saw something sitting on her bedside table. Small and round, it was the color of a pearl, although one side was flat enough for it to sit on. Reaching out, she touched it.

It was only after she'd gotten ready for school, while she was grabbing her cell phone, that she saw a paper folded underneath the object. Picking it up, she read, "This is a moonstone. It glows in the dark. ~TH"

"So that wasn't a dream," she muttered to herself as she left the room.

Later that night, she crawled into bed while Yuzu was still in the bathroom. Reaching over, she took a deep breath and turned off her lamp. Sure enough, the small stone began emitting a soft, silvery light. When Yuzu walked in a few minutes later, Karin stopped her from plugging in the night-light. Her sister smiled before climbing into her own bed and falling quickly into sleep.

Lying there, Karin stared at the moonstone until she, too, drifted off. Whether he realized it or not, Toshiro'd given her something much better than just a night-light. He'd handed her a bit of the moon, the heavenly mother. And in so doing, he'd handed her part of her own mother, as well.

Karin Kurosaki still did not like the dark, but she was no longer terrified of waking up to it. Now, the full moon could watch over her every night, and laugh as her children danced through the sky high above them.

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><p>Review? Please and thank you!<p> 


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